Cambyses (part one) __ "Cambyses (Old Persian Kambujiya): second king of the
ancient Persian empire (ruled 530-522). In 525, he conquered
Egypt. This is the
first of two articles." When you finish reading you should have a good idea of
the life of Cambyses. - By Jona Lendering -
http://www.livius.org/caa-can/cambyses_ii/cambyses_ii.html

Cyrus the Younger __ "Cyrus (Old Persian Kurush): Persian prince (424/423-401),
revolted against his brother, king Artaxerxes II Mnemon. He was defeated and
killed at Cunaxa." You will find a good account of his story. - By Jona
Lendering -
http://www.livius.org/ct-cz/cyrus_ii/cyrus_ii.html

History of Persia: Cyrus the Great __ "Cyrus was the first Achaemenian Emperor
of Persia, who issued a decree on his aims and policies, later hailed as his
charter of the rights of nations. Inscribed on a clay cylinder, this is known to
be the first declaration of Human Rights, and is now kept at the British Museum.
A replica of this is also at the United Nations in New York." You can read a
good account of his life. - illustrated - From Nader Seif -
http://www.oznet.net/cyrus/cyframe.htm

Iransaga - The Heroic Age of Persia __ "Little is known about prehistoric
Persia. Here are two sections from the book "A History of Persia," by Sir Percy
Sykes. The excerpts cover the history of two 'founding' dynasties, one of which
is mostly legendary and the other based on more historical evidence. Today some Parsi families in India still claim these dynasties as ancestors. In the second
of these dynasties, we know we are dealing with real people but as in many
histories dealing with the ancient world, legend, fantasy and fact often blend.
This website is a brief but enjoyable and important 'read' about this period in
Iranian history." - From Art Arena -
http://www.artarena.force9.co.uk/heroic.htm

King Xerxes Invades Greece
__ "Xerxes's army was the biggest that had ever been
assembled in the ancient world, numbering at least several hundred thousand
troops." His target was Greece, and he "ordered a fleet of a thousand warships
to sail along the coast of the Aegean Sea, following his army and carrying
provisions for the long march..." Learn how he was defeated after all the
preparation. -
http://www.oldnewspublishing.com/xerxes.htm

Parthian Empire - History and Coins of Ancient Parthia __ About the history and
coinage of ancient Parthia. "Because limited written historical sources have
survived, much of what we know about the Parthians and their sub-kingdoms of
Characene, Elymais and Persis must be deduced from coins. For that reason, the
primary focus is on numismatics." - illustrated - many language options -
http://www.parthia.com/

Persepolis and Ancient Iran __ "The chronology of the Persepolis finds was
traceable largely through the inscriptions on seals, wall pegs, and foundation
slabs, that were discovered. Each usually bore the name of the Achaemenid ruler
of its time. Cylinder seals, generally made of stone, often depict, among other
subjects, martial or hunting scenes, rituals and offerings, or fights between
animals. The royal seals of Darius and Xerxes always depict a king victorious in
his fight with ferocious animals or monsters, a scene also depicted in the royal
reliefs." Here is a look at ancient Persia and the city of Persepolis as
depicted on seals. - click-to-view illustrations - From Oriental Institute of
Chicago -
http://www-oi.uchicago.edu/OI/MUS/PA/IRAN/PAAI/PAAI_Seals.html

The Qanats of Iran __ "Some 3,000 years ago the Persians learned how to dig
underground aqueducts that would bring mountain ground water to the plains.
Today (NB: = 1968!) the system provides 75 percent of the water used in Iran -
click-to-view illustrations - From Scientific American -
http://users.bart.nl/~leenders/txt/qanats.html

Queen Tomyris of the Massagetai and the Defeat of the Persians under Cyrus __
"The greater part of the army of the Persians was destroyed and Cyrus himself
fell, after reigning nine and twenty years." Read this telling account of the
battle by Herodotus - From Ancient History Sourcebook -
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/tomyris.html

Sogdiana Iranian culture in Central Asia __ "Sogdiana is an historical region of
Central Asia currently comprised of Southern
Uzbekistan and Western
Tajikistan.
Her population was Iranian in culture and language even if many aspects still
remain enigmatic." You will learn about its history and the archaeological
evidence to support it. - illustrated - From The Iranian -
http://www.iranian.com/History/2001/July/Sogdiana/index.html